Posts by Jennifer Baublitz
Helping get veterans out on the trails
Bobby Curley knows nature heals. He’s seen it heal others and it has healed him.
He wants to help other veterans capture that feeling, even if their mobility isn’t what it used to be. He’s bringing a Freedom Chair and his therapy dog Celtz to Welcome Home Place Saturday, Feb. 23. Welcome Home Place is a veterans resource center hosted by The Brookfield Institute’s Care for the Troops program. This month’s gathering will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Holyoke Community College’s E2E Center, 79 Main St., in downtown Ware.
Read MoreCharacter, play ‘ring true’
For Harry Pearson, his character — and all the other characters in “Welcome Home” — rings true.
Read MoreA pinning ceremony in Maine
We helped in a long-distance way to get Randy Tenney, left, a Vietnam War pin at a ceremony recently in Ellsworth, Maine. The newly inducted head of VFW Post #109 presented the pin to Mr. Tenney, who then chose to join the post! Good job Randy and VFW Post #109.
Read MoreMoral injury healing rooted in service, mission
As a licensed independent clinical social worker and a readjustment counselor for Readjustment Counseling Services at the Manchester (NH) Vet Center, Mary Heck works with veterans, many of whom are dealing with moral injury. She’ll be presenting at our Almost Home workshop Sept. 28.
Read More‘The families get forgotten about a lot’
Jeannine Germain’s husband served 25 years in the U.S. Army, often gone 300 days a year. Homecomings were not always the blissful scene we see pictured and life after the Army is also tough, Germain says.
Read MoreThe Power of Pinning
Belinda Morrone was so moved by her first pinning ceremony, she quickly organized another. The retired Air Force colonel first pinned Vietnam veterans at a ceremony in West Boylston, MA in March. The pinning ceremony was organized by The Brookfield Institute’s Care for the Troops program and held after a Yoga Warriors class. Col (ret) Morrone is active in Yoga Warriors and knew many of the veterans. The pinning was part of the American Vietnam War Commemoration and the Brookfield Institute is a Commemorative Partner. The pinning ceremony requires an officer to present the pins and Col Morrone was more than happy to oblige. What she hadn’t foreseen were the emotions.
Read MoreFascinating WWI account by nurse from Holyoke
While at Dannes-Camiers, Base Hospital No. 5 frequently was attacked by enemy aircraft, and on the night of September 4, 1917, suffered several casualties. Lieut. William T. Fitzsimons, M. C., was killed, Lieuts. Rae W. Whidden, Thaddeus D. Smith, and Clarence A. McGuire, M. C., were wounded. Lieutenants Whidden and Smith subsequently died. Three enlisted men were killed and five severely wounded; one nurse and 22 patients were wounded. These deaths were the first among the American Expeditionary Forces clue to enemy activity.
Read MoreLights, camera … director?
Call for a director for “Welcome Home,” an original play by Sam Farnsworth, based on the true stories of four local veterans. The four veterans meet at a weekend retreat. As the night by the campfire unfolds, they gradually build trust and talk about their funny and harrowing experiences of war and military service. Poignant and…
Read MoreWe’re moving — just a smidge
Care for the Troops and The Brookfield Institute are now headquartered at the Quaboag Valley CDC, 23 Main St., Ware MA. We’re on the second floor. Our mailing address is: The Brookfield Institute/Care for the TroopsP.O. Box 838Ware MA 01082 The phone number, 413-563-7282, and email address, [email protected], are still the same.
Read MoreThe dichotomy of the returning warrior
Bill Munsell knows all too well the struggles that come after returning from battle — he’s done it twice.
“I have to be a dad and a husband and still deal with the things I saw,” says Munsell, 54, a sergeant first class in the National Guard. That dichotomy — that there are two sides to a soldier — is integral to understanding how to help veterans, he says.
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